COMING SOON

I try not to believe the pre-release buzz about movies, but there are some I can’t wait to see based on the trailers alone. Right now I’m looking forward to Thank You For Smoking, a satire starring Aaron Eckhart (Nurse Betty, Erin Brockovich) as a spokesman for Big Tobacco. It was adapted and helmed by first time director Jason Reitman (dad Ivan directed movies like Stripes, Ghost Busters and Dave, so the penchant for comedy is genetic), and this one looks like a winner. The film is based on Christopher Buckley’s novel of the same name and features an all-star cast, including Maria Bello, Adam Brody (The OC), Katie Holmes, Robert Duvall, Rob Lowe and William H. Macy. You can follow Reitman’s journey as he promotes the film, and see for yourself his explanation about the infamous lost footage of Katie Holmes: http://thankyouforsmoking.typepad.com.

One of the most talked about movies from Sundance this year is the dark comedy Little Miss Sunshine, starring Steve Carrell, Greg Kinner and Toni Collette. There isn’t a trailer online yet, but it is slated to come out in July.

Out of sheer curiosity, I will see V For Vendetta when it finally comes out next month. Anything produced by the famously private Wachowski Brothers intrigues me, and, bald or not, I heart Natalie Portman ever since she stole my heart in GardenState.

I do have to admit that I will see Mission: Impossible III when it opens. Though not a huge fan of the couch-jumping superstar, I am drawn to this particular trilogy and admit to owning many of his movies (Jerry Maguire, The Last Samurai, Magnolia, Minority Report, The Outsiders and Top Gun). Besides, it was directed by television genius JJ Abrams, who brought three of my all-time favorite shows to life: Felicity, Alias and Lost. In addition, it will be great to see Keri Russell back in action (no matter the hair length) and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the villain. And of course, no JJ Abrams production would be complete without a Greg Grunberg appearance! Hopefully he won’t be eaten alive by a monster after two minutes onscreen in this one…